"I found my passion and I can tie it in with my quest to improve humanity, to make things right, to make things worthwhile for somebody, regardless of who they are."

"My achievements are not for my personal gain, but to uplift those who need help the most."

"When you see someone in a military uniform, you run the other way."

"I existed in a space that defied simple labels. I accepted myself. I embraced me."

"I take a break: I’ve found that occasionally stepping back from a stressful situation, even if it’s just for a few moments, can help clear my mind and alleviate feelings of overwhelm."

"When I was a kid I used to try and fix little animals. When there was a frog that was hurt, I would try to splint the leg."

"We have to take a bold step and dictate what is right for the patients, not just give them medications...Yes, medication does have a role, and I am not downplaying that role, but let’s look at a holistic approach to treating people. Let’s include meditation, appropriate diet, exercise, medications . . ."

"I knew I was destined for the stars."

"The panel said they look at how many years of experience a candidate has in terms of helping other people."

"We join the military because we want to join something bigger than ourselves."

"Embrace Learning: Always be curious and open-minded. Seek out opportunities to learn and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone."

"So, we need to include a non-medicinal approach for treating disease."

"I saw death, suffered hunger and torture, and lost members of my family ... Giving up on life was not an option."

"Cultivate Empathy: Try to understand things from other people’s perspectives. It not only helps in building strong relationships but also enriches your own understanding of the world."

"I witnessed some events that forced resilience in me."

"So that’s what I’m doing. I am trying to do the best I can to enrich other people because somebody did it for me."

"I had to learn to forgive and let go."

"There is no magic pill that will cure you. You only have to look at the outcomes."

"Health and wellness begin with your mindset. Living a healthy life starts with a healthy mindset."

"Why do people who meditate, exercise, and take care of themselves feel better?"

"Continuous learning, adaptability, and empathy have been the most impactful qualities in my journey."

"People who meditate sleep better, think better, and cultivate good habits. They gain serenity and calmness."

".. life is not merely about self-preservation. Instead, it’s about enriching society through acts of altruism and meaningful contributions."

"The three things that propelled me forward and soaring were: my faith in God, my determination to excel, and my parents’ words of admonition that I could do anything I wanted to."

"Medicine has taken a trend where we are treating disease[s] when they occur because we ignored the preventative measures in treating them before they occur."

"Parents know what’s best for their children’s educational needs, and it’s important that we empower their elected SBOE representatives, not textbook publishers who are beholden to other interests."

"Elected board members are beholden to the voters, unlike bureaucratic state agency employees."

"When I was on the board, The Wall Street Journal actually ran an article that said the ‘little-known’ State Board of Education in Texas was the most influential board in the United States."

"But the piece that was lost under Senate Bill 6, which took full effect in 2011."

"The board still writes those, and we have fairly good, sound standards."

"Is the piece that governed over instructional materials."

"They were motivated in the end by money."

"Moving to the beach is something I had always wanted to do."

"We love looking out at this view."

"The curriculum is what every student must know at the end of each grade level."

"I’d go down to my little beach house every chance I could and spent my summers there with my kids,."

"They worked with the majority of the board when things were wrong in their textbooks."

"If we don’t have free and fair elections, then we’ve lost our nation."

"I think we can move to a consumption tax over a 10 -year period and phase out property taxes and appraisal boards need to be elected not appointed."

"We watched the news, and I knew my parents cared about politics, but you just didn’t speak out loud where you stood politically."

"It just was the way things were."

"You don’t have true representation without fair elections."

"I’ve always had a really strong sense of justice."

"I stood up for the person being bullied back when I was little."

"I took them with me on my garage sale runs, I guess they had enough of it."

"Give the elected body the authority to write content standards for textbooks."

"I’ve written this legislation before."

"Therein lies the problem."